BELFAST

Commercial Court

The Spaniard

A bit of poetry in Duke of York...

Commercial Court

83 Botanic Ave

What it looks like when you are passing through the entries

City Centre - Where else begin than in the centre.
We wandered around for about two hours, strolling through the main streets (passing
the beautiful City Hall) and exploring narrow alleyways called 'Belfast Entries', where you can find
plenty of bars and amazing street art (and a lot of fairy lights. But you get
to see those everywhere, so get ready for one of the most magical nights!).

H&W Cranes- I was laughing when my friend
pointed out the significantly yellow cranes hanging in the shipyard. But that's because I
did not realize that Belfast is an industrial city famous for building ships (yes,
including Titanic, although these two cranes you get to see did not actually take part in the Titanic's construction) ready to cruise the world. They are visible from various
points in the city and towards the end of my visit I couldn't help myself but fall
in love with them (and yes, I also got a postcard depicting these yellow beauties!).

Peace Walls - I had read about them in my books for
the university. Yet, it was something completely different to actually see them. I
did not take any photos here, because I wanted to remember the place rather
than mindlessly take snaps. If you are planning a visit to
Belfast, find out a little bit about its history (for example by reading the powerful book
Bear in Mind These Dead by Susan
McKay, which could help you to understand the purpose of these walls) and pay a
visit to this place. I got a tour guided by Anna's dad, for which I am
incredibly grateful. He told us a lot of interesting stories, which gave me a whole
new perspective. So thank you for that!

Queen's University Campus + UlsterMuseum +Botanic
Gardens - All of these are basically
next to each other, so start in front of the university, continue to the Ulster
museum (if you are a Game of Thrones' fan, have a look on the museum's program
- the last time I was there with Anna, there was a themed exhibition about this
popular TV show) and then walk through the Botanic Gardens and wander around.
The whole area is super cute looking with great atmosphere and a lot of students.

No Alibis Bookstore (83 Botanic Ave) - You know me -
books, books, books and bookshops. Anna's mom gave her the tip to take me into
this bookshop in the student quarter of the city (thank you Jane for that!)
and I obviously got myself a book (Half
of a Yellow Sun by my favourite Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie).

Commercial Court - This wee street has my favourite
pub and a little courtyard with hanging yellow umbrellas in its entrance hall
and graffiti on its walls, depicting all the famous people from Northern Ireland
(so yes, you will get to see Jamie Dornan, among others).

Places
to go for a drink:

The Spaniard (3
Skipper St) - My motto is always listen to the locals when it comes to exploring cities, and this is one of Anna's favourite places in Belfast to get a drink in! Plus, now the outside
facade of the bar is painted, looking like the space, and surrounded with
lightbulbs.

Duke of York
(Commercial Court) - They have beer stickers and beer coasters all over the place (including
walls and ceiling), and they have poetry on the stairs leading to the toilets.
Need I say more?

Muriel's
Bar(12-14 Church Ln) - Perfect place for lovely
cocktails. Amazing atmosphere and knickers hanging from the
ceiling (no, I am not joking, and yes, it looks really cool!!!).

Btw, my friend, who studies her final year of medicine, also sings and plays piano. You can listen to her album here on Spotify.